When people in yoga practices have woken up from their final relaxation after a yoga session and are seen to emerge bright and peaceful from the stillness of their mat, the last thing you want to do is turn out into the noise, chaos and stress of the outside world.
It’s too much contrast and practitioners often need some time to digest their yoga experience and a slow transition back into their daily lives, which is why, for many yoga students, the bridge between yoga and the high-intensity rhythm outside is a hot cup of tea.
Many studios serve tea, usually after class, as a way to offer students the opportunity to sunbathe in the yoga buzz, people are very open after yoga, and tea offers a seamless transition back into their reality, tea is an informal yoga tradition that has taken root in recent years, and increasing awareness of the various benefits of tea has made it a welcome addition to yoga classes as one more way of embracing healthy living.
While not a ritual process per se, the tradition of combining tea and yoga has an ancient connection.
Tea and its relationship to the practice of Yoga
Yoga and Ayurvedic medicine go hand in hand by offering tea as part of their home cooking yoga classes, for example yogi tea, which is a homemade spice tea, including traditional Ayurvedic spices, such as cloves, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom and ginger, in a base of black tea, sweetened with milk and honey.
The recipe was inspired in the 1960s by Yogi Bhajan, who served the tea to his students. Many teachers, however, have taken a step away from this traditional recipe and are serving drinks ranging from green tea to roasted barley with herbal mixtures.
In addition to the soothing and healing properties, the central idea behind a cup of post-tyoga tea is about the social bonding and unity it creates between students, it’s a lot about community, the opportunity to get to know each other, as well as the chance to be part of that energy and to maintain that energy as well.
Other teachers agree that tea can help to facilitate learning and discussion, where students of yoga practices meet after their one hour class for tea and philosophical discussion and these meetings are described as significantly more social than, say, a Japanese tea ceremony, whether used for its mystical or medicinal properties, tea has become an integral part of yoga, and students seem to have no problem warming up with a cup and living the experience.
Satisfaction with Tea Consumption when practising Yoga
While there is no rule book for serving tea with yoga, there are some ways to enrich the experience by setting the right mood, inviting all the senses emphasizes maintaining a clean and tidy space; adding precious objects, works of art (flowers); serving tea in a porcelain or wooden cup; playing with light, meditation music; and using incense, such as sandalwood which is very earthy.
Basically, you need to feel as if you are entering a special area that is independent of the stresses of everyday life.
Tea can be synchronized with healthy home-cooked vegetarian food or vegetarian soups such as black beans, curried pumpkin, or potato health-enhancing things, no processed foods, serve only the finest tea, be sure to use a good loose leaf tea to enhance the whole experience, which is more healing and beneficial, it is advisable if you want to use the fine porcelain, that it is comfortable, it is about creating a space where those practically of yoga feel welcome, loved and nourished should be eliminated factors that cloud the time to prepare and serve the tea.
Sometimes when people add more vegetables and fibre-filled foods to their plate, their digestive system doesn’t cooperate very well and uncomfortable physical issues arise, these not-so-impressive bathroom trips and embarrassing moments of gaseous situations have given fibre a bad name.
But fibre really is your friend, you just need to get to know things a little better and learn some simple guidelines about fibre, in short, fibre is vegetable fibre – the part of vegetables, fruits, pulses, cereals, nuts and seeds that resists digestion.
Fibre helps cleanse your digestive system and get rid of things – excess hormones, cholesterol, toxins and waste that shouldn’t be there. Fibre also provides a host of other health benefits, including colon wellness and intestinal bacterial balance.
In addition, fibre-rich foods are essential for a strong immune system, faster metabolism and weight control, diabetes and prevention of cardiovascular disease, beautiful skin and better overall health in yoga practices.
Insoluble fibre has a laxative effect and is found in fruit and vegetable peel, wheat, wheat bran, rye and rice. It does not dissolve easily in water so it is added to the faecal mass. It is crucial for healthy, work-intensive bowel movements that must be excreted at least once or twice a day.
Fibre and its Benefits when practising Yoga
Soluble fibre absorbs liquids, swells and is easily digested by intestinal bacteria, ferments and produces gas in the digestive tract. This does not sound as attractive, but it is very important for the health of the colon.
Soluble fibre creates a feeling of fullness and is the type of fibre responsible for reducing LDL or bad cholesterol. Look a little further into soluble fibre in the diet, but sportsmen and women include chia seeds, flax seeds, oats, oat bran, barley, beans, lentils, psyllium and most nuts – especially walnuts and almonds – in their diets.
There is a big difference between the amount of fibre the average person is eating and how much they should eat for optimum health, the recommended intake for prevention of disease is 14 grams of fibre per 1000 calories consumed, averaging at least 38 grams per day for men and 25 grams per day for women.
Many health authorities, however, recommend eating more fibre to improve your chances of general health and well-being, yet the average fibre intake is about half of what is recommended at 16 to 18 grams per day for men and 12 to 14 grams per day for women.
Soft stools are often the first sign that you may be getting too much fibre, or an inadequate balance of soluble and insoluble fibre, an increase in total fibre, especially a jump too quickly can cause gas and bloating, but, in reality it is the fermentation of soluble fibre in the colon that produces these issues, soluble fibre is processed in the colon without being digested and when it is broken down by intestinal bacteria, the results are gas.
Are nuts rich in fibre and good for yoga practices?
Beans and nuts are high in soluble fibre, lettuce has mostly insoluble fibre, irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive disorders affect the amount of gas moving through the intestinal tract and can increase intestinal flatulence as well as bloating and painful discomfort.
As with anyone new to a high-fibre diet, people with sensitive digestive systems or other problems should increase their fibre intake slowly and ensure a mix of both soluble and insoluble fibre-rich foods.
Soluble fibre such as the type found in chia seeds and flax seeds help soften stools and make happy bowel movements with minimal discomfort, while raw vegetables and cruciferous vegetables can provide special challenges for people with digestive disorders, if this is the case, eating smaller amounts or vegetables thoroughly that can provide some relief.
To avoid the constipation that often goes hand in hand with extra gas and bloating, make sure you increase your fluid intake as you increase your fibre and nut intake to facilitate your yoga practices.
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